Banking On Bacon

According to Inc.com, the Internet has facilitated a congregation of bacon connoisseurs across America, some of whom have allowed their appetite for the cured meat to give rise to their bottom line.

A simple Google search will lead you into a subculture that has spawned everything from vodka, to candles, to crowdfunded ventures.

Two sets of New York City-based entrepreneurs that began operations in 2010 saw their handcrafted concoctions featuring real bacon pique the curiosity of outdoor market patrons.

Macaron Parlour, run by Christina Ha and Simon Tung, began selling their candied bacon macarons with maple cream cheese frosting at the Hester Street Fair in the Lower East Side. Says Tung, that particular macaron is the best seller at the fair, and the best seller overall when combining both fair and online orders.

Similarly, Jess Eddy, one half of the duo behind Phinizy & Phebe Ice Cream, says Maple Bacon Pecan was their best seller at fairs this summer, although it has yet to debut in stores with their other offerings.

Rocco Loosbrock founded Bacon Freak in late 2008, and the site now hosts the Bacon of the Month Clubs, as well as several other bacon-centric products. He now runs the business full-time and hosts a series of other bacon sites including the Bacon Today blog and Bacn.me, a URL shortener that receives a reported 3,000 to 4,000 hits per month. His company also developed bacon jerky and has acquired Bacn.com, a competitor bacon club.